#oc: A Colony Of Bats

[brightwingedbat]

Puts a creacher on your dash

[irraydiate]

An OC, he’s a Hank clone that survived when both twins were caught in a cave-in when they were 14.

(Further lore ↓)

Apologies for being overly verbose for parts of this, I’m just like that sometimes

Dean died and Hank was hit in the head and knocked out. Because his watch (and by extension his wrist) was crushed, he was assumed to be dead. He survived but was forced to live with his brother’s rotting corpse, and only ate/drank bugs, moss, tree roots, and underground spring water, effectively becoming severely malnourished. The only “company” he had was a small colony of bats that came and went through a vent in the cave’s ceiling. This led to more delusion and detachment, as well as further fuelling his obsession with Batman. I know scientifically he’d probably just die from all this but whatever..

He’s found after like 6 years and does not take the news about them being clones very well, but he’s very happy to see his family, and ends up liking the current Hank. He gets surgery to deal with his broken bones that healed horrifically wrong, but nothing seems to really fix him mentally.

Also the “Allen” is the normal/replacement Hank, as everyone agreed this cave Hank was Hank first and got to keep his name. Idk what I’m doing

I only made this character as a sort of hypothetical crisis for Hank, and also wanted to make my own take on a D-19 type character

I was inspired by Alphonse Elric and Riku from Kemu Voxx’s books for the (minimally transformative) design, but it’s mostly just Hank.. It was hard to restrain myself from drawing dicks on that cast both because innate urge and it actually being in-character

(Also ik that this design ever being animated at this level of detail would be some form of abuse, but I ain’t animating his ass, and I also have little restraint when it comes to adding pointless details.)

[neoninky]

So here's a thought.... (Diasomnia Fae Rambles)

Ok Diasomnia lovers, I has another theory dump lol

So dragon fae - the Draconias being the most prominent examples in game - are born from eggs and are born as literal baby dragons as we have seen from Chapter 7.

And as we have seen there are other nocturnal fae that take after animals such as bat fae like Lilia or crocodile fae like Baul and his daughter.

So...was Lilia born as an actual baby bat? Was Baul and his daughter hatched from eggs?? I have so many questions lol.

Lilia clearly has little bat familiars that visit him during lessons and during his dream sequence, the man literally appears with a whole colony of bats like friggin Batman. Or like the zodiac members in Fruits Basket that attract their animals in real time lol. Which honestly is stupidly charming and I love it.

It makes me wonder about Baul's time before living in Briarland/Briar Valley. I forget where exactly it was mentioned, but I do recall Baul saying that he's native to Sunset Savanna. Did he just randomly come across crocodiles in the wild? Like he had a pool by his house and crocodiles would be drawn to him and just come vibe in his backyard lol. In relation to my fae OC characters like Tai who is a fox fae: would he run into wild foxes while hanging out in the woods? Ok that would be stupidly cute actually oh lawd. Or more importantly...when Lilia's baby girl Hildie is born, is she a lil humanoid fae baby or a tiny baby bat that eventually takes on a human form???? *serotonin explosion* Anyhoo. There y'all go. Feel free to discuss lol.

@nuitthegoddess @hanafubukki @foxwitchaine @masquerade-of-misery @diasomniareads @onegianthotmess

[cookeybg]

The Colony Possessed - Chapter 4

Title: The Colony Possessed

Main Characters: Gotham, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne

Narrators: Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, OC - Kam, John Constantine, will add others as chapters progress

Honorable Mentions: Wally West, Talia Al Ghul, Damian Al Ghul

No romantic relationships

Stuff to Know: Cryptid Batfamily, maybe a bit spooky, Hopefully a bit amusing, Gotham LOVES Batman and she always will, it's concerning

[The Colony Possessed Table of Contents]

Chapter 4 - It feeds off you, mate

“I know you’re there.” John Constantine called out to the dark, hands buried in the pockets of his beige trench-coat, legs spread shoulder width apart, smoke rising from the lit cigarette he smoked. He knew that Bats would not appreciate his presence in his city, but anything out of the ordinary, anything remotely devilish or cursed was his business so, his old pal could suck it. The alley darkened to the point where he could only see a few feet in front of him. The shadows coalesced and bright green eyes shone, no pupil, no white, just pointy green like upside down half moons. The shadows giggled, they caressed his hair, a shiver ran down his spine. “Hello.” The voice echoed against the brick walls, female sounding, soft. The pair of eyes faded in and out in the dark. “No, no,” John shook a finger at it, “I need all of your attention.” John stomped his foot on the ground and an elaborate circle with sigils lit up, causing the shadows to hiss. All at once the shadows darkened and gathered in one spot on the ground in front of him. It was in the shape of a petite woman, long wavy black hair that moved like smoke draped her back, her body the color of coal and acid eyes green eyes glared at him. “What do you want, friend.” She hissed. “Friend, eh? What’s my new friend’s name?” She tilted her head and simply said, “Gotham.” John whistled in surprised, rocking his body back and forth on his heels, “A sentient city.” He knew it! From the day he met the Bat, something wasn’t right. If he ignored his broody countenance, his sharp words, and his gloomy disposition, he could feel another presence hanging off the Bat. It was subtle and vague, cleverly hidden.

He hadn’t been sure, thought that maybe it had been something else. He had even gone to the Watch Tower after he heard of the rumors of it possibly being haunted and found nothing. Bats though, exuded something supernatural, no matter if the grump claimed to not believe in the occult. Heck he had felt it in the man’s children, in his cave, but whenever he looked too closely the thing would disappear. Until recently. The presence had gotten stronger. The proof stood in front of him, it had taken a humanoid form, no longer just an essence. Mixed with something else, something vicious. “I know of your type. Calls herself Angela. Good for a fun time but brings me trouble. What do you want with Bats?” Gotham was no longer looking at John, instead she stared at her hands the shape of long pointy fingers shrinking into dull stubs, she wiggled them. “I’m his, my Bat.” She eventually responded. John watched her as she moved her legs, feet forming solidly, toes wiggling on the sodden cobbled stones. This was going to be troublesome. A city who thought it belonged to a human. Gotham touched her face, its shadowy tendrils taking shape into a proper jawline, lips, nose and forehead. Her hands trailed down her body and she jumped up and down, her breasts bouncing. John enjoyed the show. “You’re a city. You don’t belong to anyone.” Gotham flicked her wrists and a flowy black dress appeared to cover her body, she looked up at him, her almond eyes wide. “I’m his. Fixes me. Loves me.” John nodded as if that made sense. Gotham had an innocence to her despite it existing for hundreds of years. Honestly, he had expected her to be twisted and blood thirsty with the way Gothamites lived here. With all the corruption, death and the crazies. He was surprised that it seemed it hadn’t affected her. “Let me go?” she said tilting her head. John hummed. “Not yet, gotta figure out what to do with you. Does Bats know you exist?” “They know.” Gotham pointed up. John’s eyes followed and were met with four pairs of white eyes, narrowed. They perched like the gargoyles that sat sentinel in the city skylines. He flinched at the crack of a bullet being fired. It ricocheted off the floor next to his feet. “Oy!” The circle flickered. Gotham jumped, floating up so that John’s eyes were met with hers. She cupped his face, her smile unnaturally wide, brilliantly white, and stared deeply into his eyes. Blunt fingers turning sharp, digging into his cheeks before relenting, before making him bleed. “Thank you, friend of my Bat.” She dissipated, leaving him with the ominous birds. He looked up at them, he could feel her presence within them. “Get out of Gotham.” Their words bounced off the brick walls around him, he swore he could hear the flutter of wings at their departure. “It feeds off you, mate.” John said, to no one.

Sorry for the not updating, been having a rough few days (weeks, I guess). Been wanting to write but couldn't get myself to move. Anyways, I will be updating a few of my other fics now, I hope you enjoy them! <3

[enigmaticexplorer]

I Yearn, and so I Fear - Chapter XXIV

Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

General Summary. Nearly a year since the Galactic Empire’s rise to power, Kazi Ennari is trying to survive. But her routine is interrupted—and life upended—when she’s forced to cohabitate with former Imperial soldiers. Clone soldiers. 

Pairing. Commander Wolffe x female!OC

General Warnings. Canon-typical violence and assault, familial struggles, terminal disease, bigotry, explicit sexual content, death. This story deals with heavy content. If you’re easily triggered, please do not read. For a more comprehensive list of tags, click here.

Fic Rating. E (explicit)/18+/Minors DNI.

Chapter Word Count. 4.9K

22 Welona

Someone was crying. 

She wanted to reach out and quiet the person—hold them until their distant sobs grew silent.

But her hand wouldn’t move. 

It laid beside her. Heavy, tingling. 

And then the pain hit.

Agony along her spine, burning, contracting.

A pounding in the back of her head, hammer-like.

Excruciating ache in her neck, tightening, stabbing.

Her eyes tried to open. Light blinded her. Watery images floated around her.

A little girl off to the side, curled on the floor, sobbing. 

Two pairs of legs nearby. 

A face so familiar it hurt; a yearning so poignant her heart strained for him, a hand trying to reach for his own, tie itself to his. 

She tried to smile. But darkness swarmed her—a colony of bats fluttering at the edges of her vision. 

Through it she saw someone at the door. A man, gruff and aged, his smile weary yet tender. She hadn’t seen that face in seventeen years. 

A reminder.

A reminder that the happiness she had experienced, she didn’t deserve. Because she wasn’t kind to him in his final moments, and she knew, this was her comeuppance.

This was what she deserved.

So she closed her eyes.

23 Welona

Orchestral music ebbed from the aircar’s radio, a ballad, presumably a recording of an Inner Rim symphony. The lilt and flow of the woodwinds told a tranquil story, a necessary breath before the intensity of the story’s final moments and ultimate tragedies. 

“Your sister’s still ill,” Carinthia said. A hand on the wheel, she lowered the music further. “But her healer said rest and food will have her back on her feet tomorrow. The day after, at the latest.”

Kazi loosed a shaky breath. Soreness trickled through her muscles, a dull throb slowly bouncing behind her eyes. 

“Wolffe kept you updated?” she asked, rubbing the dragon pendant between her fingers. The necklace’s chain slid across her wrist, cool to the touch.

“Yes.” Carinthia slid her a sidelong glance. “He was…demanding when he first commed Fehr.”

Outside, rain drizzled from the ashy sky. The trees bordering their route shuddered, their green subdued from the fog crawling across the hilly landscape. 

Pressing a hand to her temple, an attempt to massage away the building ache, she asked, “Demanding?”

“More like threatening,” Carinthia said, amused. “What were his exact words? Oh right: You fucking owe her.”

Kazi grimaced. “He didn’t.”

“He did.” Carinthia’s chuckle sobered and she clutched the steering wheel tighter, the drizzle outside harshening. “There was no need for such theatrics. Fehr would have helped, regardless.”

“Wolffe will never believe that,” Kazi said quietly. At Carinthia’s probing silence, she shrugged. “He doesn’t trust any of you.” A moment passed, and she added, “I don’t blame him for it.”

The music filled their silence, and Kazi pressed a hand to her stomach, telling herself she wouldn’t vomit. Her thumb swept across the dark-green dragon pendant, again. She wanted… 

Well, it didn’t matter what she wanted.

Four hours ago, she awoke in the med center, her shoulder and back still healing from an expensive bout of bacta supply. Apparently she had caught herself falling, wrenching her shoulder in the process. But it saved her from breaking her spine. 

The med droid’s main concern was her cracked skull. Bacta stitches were required. Even now, she could feel them, cool and relieving at the base of her head. A look in the mirror before she left the med center revealed the faded abrasions lacerating her back. Her neck was still stiff. 

However, it was the weariness drilled into her bones that bothered her the most. A somber weariness leeched into her soul. A weariness she couldn’t shake. 

“I heard something of interest,” Carinthia said. Nausea coiled in her stomach and Kazi fisted her hands beneath her thighs, nodding for Carinthia to continue. “The network has dismissed Ceaia for larger operations.”

“I know.” Kazi tried to concentrate on a spot in the distance. Impossible, considering the dark drizzle. “I saw the update.”

“I wasn’t aware that you remain updated on Ceaia.”

“I didn’t—don’t.” The fog thickened and the aircar slowed. Her skin burned too hot, and she gritted her teeth, swallowing a lump of bile. “But I saw a random update last month.”

With a disbelieving look, Carinthia turned the aircar onto a dirt path. “There’s a contact on Ceaia. She informed me that some Ceaian towns are harboring rebels, refugees, those persecuted by the Empire. It’s all hushed, and only a few can be protected.” Carinthia paused. “But I have heard they’re willing to protect former Imperial supporters.”

Kazi mulled her words. Tried to analyze the heavier note in Carinthia’s tone. However, she couldn’t parse the intent through the nausea twisting in her gut. Or maybe she didn’t want to.

“You could return,” Carinthia said. 

“I can’t.” The tunnel of trees widened and the house emerged, a white stain amid the dense fog. Tucking the necklace into her pocket, she said, “Ceaia is in the past. I’ve moved on.”

The aircar stalled and Carinthia glanced her over, skeptical. “Have you moved on? Or are you running from something?”

A snarky remark was on the tip of her tongue but Kazi swung open the door, leaned over the side, and vomited. It was mostly bile. Wiping her mouth, she glanced at Carinthia.

“Thank you”—Carinthia scrunched her nose—“for doing that outside.”

“Thanks for the ride.” The front door opened and Wolffe strode down the porch steps, a poncho shielding him from the rain. Kazi stared at him. Her heart beat faster; tension she hadn’t even known existed eased, faded. “And tell Fehr thanks, too. I appreciate what you both did.”

Wolffe had reached the car by the time she was stepping into the drizzle, bundling her into an overlarge poncho. He steadied her as she straightened. His eyes roved across her face, searching, relieved, and then he nodded at Carinthia. The door slammed shut. With a wave of her hand, Carinthia disappeared into the fog.

Outside the front door, the porch roof protection from the rain, Wolffe faced Kazi. Dark circles bruised his under eyes; harried lines worried his forehead. His hands cupped her jaw and he studied her. 

“Kazi,” he whispered hoarsely.

At the tenderness in his touch, the gentle concern in his expression, Kazi could only bury her face in his chest, trembling at the onslaught of emotion. Cold, persistent like the drizzle. 

A hand nestled into her lower back. Held her closer. Tired muscles uncurled, and her body seemed to sink into him, to seek him. To rely on him. 

“She pushed me.” Swallowing her tears, Kazi breathed him in, letting his familiarity soothe the sudden ache in her heart. The bruises marring her very soul. “She pushed me.”

“I know.” Wolffe surrounded her—his warmth, his scent, his hold unyielding, his chin nuzzled to the top of her head. “We didn’t tell her. And we didn’t tell Neyti. They think you fell down the stairs.”

“Good.” She burrowed further into his chest, for just another moment, and then she straightened, lifting her chin. “I don’t want them to know. Ever.”

Pressing a gentle, lingering kiss to her forehead, he released her. “Neyti has been…distraught.” Kazi winced, and he sighed. “She’s eager to see you.” He scrubbed his jaw, bristles coating his skin. “I wanted to see how you were first.”

“I can see her,” she said. 

Based on the narrowing of his eyes, he seemed inclined to disagree. So she brushed a swift, grateful kiss to his cheek, squeezed his arm, and then stepped into the house.

Warmth seeped into her bones. The lights were dim and welcoming, and a strong aroma of roasting vegetables wafted through the air. Shucking off her boots and poncho, Wolffe hanging the latter on the rack, she made her way into the living area.

A film played on the holoscreen—her favorite. In one of the armchairs, Fluffy sat on Nova’s lap. Both canine and man were watching the screen intently.

On the couch, Neyti was curled beneath Nova’s quilt, the dark gray panels as tumultuous as the storm raging outside. But it wasn’t Neyti’s somber countenance that surprised her. It was the man holding her. Fox. 

The little girl’s cheek rested against his chest; a large hand splayed across her shoulder, tucking her into his body.

As if he could feel her stare, Fox looked over his shoulder, meeting her gaze. His chin dipped. 

Before Kazi could analyze the situation, Fox was tapping Neyti’s shoulder and gesturing to her and Wolffe. Neyti’s head snapped around; she stared at Kazi. Her lower lip started to tremble. Tears filled her gray eyes. 

Stumbling from the couch, Neyti hurried toward her, hesitating half a meter away. She wrung her hands.

“Hi,” Kazi said, smiling. She knelt and, cautiously, Neyti stepped into her, tucking her face into her chest. Kazi closed her eyes, hugging the little girl tightly. 

“I missed you,” Neyti whispered. 

“I missed you, too,” Kazi whispered back. 

A quiet sniffle; a tiny hand gripping her sweater, like the little girl was too scared to release her. Ignoring the ache in her back and the throb worsening behind her eyes, Kazi held Neyti. Let her cheek rest atop her hair, her twin braids disheveled. Hugged Neyti tighter because she was shaking.

Eventually, Neyti leaned away, and Kazi reached into her pocket, retrieving the dragon-pendant necklace. “I found this on my bedside table when I woke up.” She peered into Neyti’s face. “You know something about it?”

“I put it in your pocket.” Shyly, Neyti accepted her necklace. “I wanted Vaeloria to watch over you.” 

Emotion burned the back of her throat, and Kazi squeezed Neyti’s shoulder. “She did. She watched over me.”

Satisfaction lit her face and Neyti tucked her necklace into her trousers’ pocket. Slowly regaining her feet, Kazi looked to the kitchen. Cody was pouring a boiling pot into the sink. A timer neared its completion. 

Her stomach lurched at the thought of dinner, and she grimaced. 

Wolffe must have noticed her unease because he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and then crouched in front of Neyti. He tapped a knuckle to Neyti’s chin. The little girl ducked her head with a bashful grin. “I’m gonna take her upstairs”—he gestured to Kazi—“and I need you to get the table ready. Got it?”

Shifting between her bunny slippers, Neyti cast a worried glance at Kazi. Before Kazi could comfort her, Wolffe tugged on Neyti’s braid. His voice was low, secretive, as he said, “She’s not going anywhere. I’m gonna keep her safe. Remember?”

Neyti nodded, looked Kazi over once more, and then she raced for the kitchen. 

Kazi watched, for a moment, as Cody helped Neyti grab the plates. Still, that weariness gnawed on her bones, shark teeth jagged and painful.

Soon, Kazi found herself in her sister’s room, her hair leaking down her back. 

Wolffe had offered to help her with the shower but she refused. Everything had happened so quickly, from her waking at the med center, to the droid pestering her, to Carinthia picking her up, that she needed to be alone. To compose herself.

The heat of the shower’s water had warmed her muscles. Yet her inner self remained drained. Exhausted. 

Kazi let her gaze sweep across Daria, her sister sleeping, though Daria’s fingers spasmed occasionally. 

A note—Healer Natasha’s most recent update from that morning—sat on Daria’s nightstand. Kazi read through it. Dread sluiced her body at the last comment: 

I have increased the dosage of morning/evening potions. They have reached their maximum. The disease will nullify their effectiveness, primarily in regards to memory loss, in the next three months. Succumbing to terminality is expected soon after.

The note fluttered from her hand and Kazi could only stare at Daria. At her little sister. 

The back of her throat tightened. Something heavy constricted her chest. 

She had been so fucking stupid these last few months. She had been happy, fucking happy, avoiding the inevitable because she was selfish and she took everything—Wolffe, Neyti, her sister—for granted.

“Fuck,” Kazi hissed. She pinched her arm. Pinched herself until she wanted to cry. 

Why was her little sister sick? Why not her?

None of this was fair. It wasn’t fucking fair—

The door tipped open and Kazi stiffened.

With a nod in her direction, Cody stepped into the room, approaching Daria’s bed and reaching for her sister’s hand. Kazi frowned at the device wrapped around Daria’s wrist: small like a wrist-chrono. Numbers flashed across its screen. It was new. Unfamiliar.

She gritted her teeth and took a step forward. The bed separated her from Cody. “What are you doing.”

“I’m checking her vital signs,” Cody said, tapping the device’s screen. “I’m keeping a log of noticeable symptoms. For Healer Natasha.”

“That’s my job,” Kazi said flatly. Another step forward but Daria rested on the opposite side, away from her. Away from her care. Her jaw ached, the spot behind her eyes pulsed faster, as she clenched her jaw harder. “You’re not needed. I’ll take care of it.”

Surprise furrowed his brows and Cody straightened. Slowly, he said, “Do you know how to operate it?”

She fisted her hands behind her back. “We don’t need you.”

“That so?” he drawled. A burst of restrained anger ticked in his jaw, but it quickly disappeared. Sighing, he lifted a hand. “I’m more than willing to do it—”

“Why are you here?” Kazi looked him over. “You don’t get to pretend like you care about Daria. You’re not her family, I am. And we don’t need you.”

“I may not be family,” Cody said calmly, lethally, “but I still care for her.”

Kazi scoffed. “The only thing you care about are your missions.” His nostrils flared, and she huffed a mirthless laugh. “You think she isn’t worth committing to and it’s fucked up—”

“That’s enough.” Rage glinted in his eyes, and his shoulders grew rigid. “Have you asked her about our situation? Have you asked her what she wants?” 

“She told me—” 

“Did she? Or did you assume you understood what she was saying?”

“I know my sister,” she said.

“I don’t doubt that.” Releasing a heavy breath, Cody held her glare. “Daria and I have discussed these things. I would never hurt her. And I have made my intentions clear from the beginning. We have an understanding. That’s all you need to know.”

The finality in his tone—his fucking composure when her little sister was dying—grated on her nerves, and Kazi dug her fingernails into her palms. 

“You know she’s going to forget you,” she said quietly. Cody tensed, and she laughed, the noise choked. Broken. “She’s going to forget you. She’s going to forget Neyti. She’s going to forget me. She’s going to forget all of us.” Her vision started to blur, and she gulped. “Are you going to be here when that happens, Commander? Are you going to ‘check on her’ when she looks you in the eye and is scared because she doesn’t fucking recognize you?”

A tear scorched her cheek and she swiped it away. Her breaths sharpened. Loud and ragged to her ears. Placing a hand against her chest, she tried to breathe. It was hard. It was so fucking hard. Like her lungs didn’t want to cooperate.

“She’s going to forget you,” she repeated hoarsely. “She’s going to forget all of us. And then she’s going to die, and she’s going to die not remembering she was my sister.”

For a long, silent minute, they stared at one another, and then Kazi turned on her heel and locked herself in Daria’s refresher. 

She collapsed to the floor. 

She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and she bit. 

She bit into her skin, muffling the sobs trying to choke her. Bit her wrist and squeezed her eyes closed, refusing to cry. 

Because she wasn’t allowed to cry. Her little sister was suffering, and she had no fucking right to cry.

The ‘fresher door opened, and someone was kneeling beside her, and strong arms were pulling her into a chest.

“It’s okay,” Wolffe murmured through her harsh pants. “It’s okay.”

“She’s going to forget me,” she whispered brokenly. A metallic taste filled her mouth and she shoved her hand away, ignoring the smidgen of blood. “She’s going to forget me.”

Lightning crawled across the sky, the white lighting the bedroom for long, unnatural seconds. Tucked beneath her covers, Kazi watched the storm. 

Beyond her bedroom, the house was silent. Wolffe had tucked Neyti into bed, and the men were downstairs, enjoying a horror film Nova recommended. All except Wolffe. He was drawing shapes on her arm, seemingly content to endure her silence, as he had the last hour.

Another burst of lightning purpled the night sky. 

Kazi knew she should talk to him. Explain. However, embarrassment kept her back to him. Embarrassment and shame. She owed Cody an apology for attacking his character, and she owed Wolffe an apology for not being competent. For not being in control. 

But she was too tired, really, to care about apologies. And why bother when she didn’t deserve the possible forgiveness? 

“I was scared.” 

The words, though softly spoken, startled her enough she jumped. Looking over her shoulder, she found Wolffe staring at her ceiling. His expression was haunted. 

“I watched you fall. And I couldn’t get to you,” he said. “I heard your head hit the edge of that stair and I thought…I fucking thought…” His throat bobbed, and his eyes sought hers. “What happened can’t happen again.”

Kazi flinched at the tremble in his voice, and she turned over, lying on her back.

“Daria will need better care soon,” Wolffe said. Beneath the covers, his finger caressed her hand. “Will that be 24-hour care?”

Massaging her temple, she blinked at the ceiling. “Yes. I need to figure out the specifics. I haven’t done that yet.”

“Kazi.” Hesitation lengthened the silence between them and then his hand engulfed hers. “You don’t have to do this alone. You have me.”

Lightning splintered and fractured. A low roll of thunder echoed across Eluca’s jungled hills.

“It’s not your responsibility,” she said. “You have your own concerns with your missions and keeping your brothers safe. You can’t concern yourself with my family’s issues.”

Rustling sheets drew her gaze back to Wolffe. He’d pushed himself upright, leaning against her headboard, a knee bent. He regarded her with a hard look. 

“We’ve reached a point where we need to be honest,” he said. “I’m here. I’m in this with you. And I’ve got your back.” His hand twitched atop hers. “All you need to do is let me in.” 

It was determination in his features. Determination and tenacity. And yet a hint of hurt belied the steadiness in his demeanor. 

And she knew. Her insistence to maintain a semblance of distance—her insistence to rely on herself rather than rely on him—had hurt him more than he would ever admit.

Slowly pushing herself to a seated position, she gripped her knees and met his gaze. The combination of his unflinching stare and flickers of lightning left her bare. Open and vulnerable. A gutted fish abandoned on the deck of a sailboat. 

“I have spent a majority of my life relying on myself,” Kazi said quietly. Her hands started to tremble and she tightened her grasp on her knees. “I don’t want to burden you.” 

“You’re not a burden,” Wolffe said. A hand warmed her shoulder. “How have I not proven this to you?” 

She shook her head, her half-smile exasperated. Self-deprecating. Because it wasn’t his fault. He was so, so good, and it wasn’t his fucking fault for her conflicted, irrational feelings. 

“I don’t know how to let you in.” She wanted to pull away from his hand. From the heat scorching parts of her she didn’t want touched—dormant parts of her too sullied for him to see. “I don’t know how to rely on anyone but myself.” 

“I know.” He sighed, refusing to release her. “But you told me you would trust me.” 

“I do.” 

“Then trust me. Rely on me.” 

“What about you?” she demanded. Bewilderment scrunched his face and she scoffed. “You’re always so composed, Wolffe. You’re always in control. You never have any burdens—”

Wolffe snatched the black, worn notebook from her opposite nightstand. He flipped open the first page and shoved it into her hands.

“These are names,” he growled. His hands were shaking. “These are names of everyone I care about. My general. My men. My brothers.”

A white flash highlighted the inked names on the first page. Some were crossed out. The blood drained from her face.

“When I wake up in the middle of the night”—he flipped the page and even more names were crossed out—“or when I get stressed on a mission, I have to read these fucking pages to reassure myself that not everyone I care about is dead.” 

Thunder droned outside the house and Wolffe swallowed.

“I can’t look at raw meat. I can’t smell it. I can’t fucking eat meat anymore because it reminds me of the bodies…” Shaking his head, he cleared his throat. “Fireworks remind me of Abregado. When I see Neyti sparring with my brothers, I immediately look for Nova. Because I need a fucking medic on hand just in case she gets hurt.” He exhaled a sharp breath. His eyes hollowed. “I count the minutes until you return from work. Because I’m scared you won’t return.”

More pages riffled. Only one or two names remained unblemished. 

Kazi started to flip another when Wolffe halted her. Even in the darkness she could see more names written on the next page. They must have been personal, if he didn’t want her seeing them.

“This what you want, Ennari?” He tapped the book. “To know that I’m so fucked in the head I need a book to keep my fucking thoughts straight?”  

“Wolffe…” Kazi searched his face, the exhaustion and resignation dulling his eyes.

“I think I’m stained,” he said quietly. Gently closing the notebook, he returned it to her nightstand. “My hands are stained. And every time I get in your bed, I’m reminded that—” His shoulders hunched and his mouth pressed into a flat line. 

A scowl marred his features, an attempt to guard his vulnerability. And it was vulnerability, raw and honest, rounding his eyes and wearying his face. So she offered him her own vulnerability.

“I hate med centers.” A humorless smile pinched her cheeks. “My father was brought to one right before he died. And ever since then, I’ve hated them.” She fiddled with the hem of her sheet. “I know it’s stupid, but waking up there…” 

Seeing Neyti’s necklace was a comfort when she first awoke. A comfort that calmed some of her initial panic. 

“Being there today reminded me of what’s to come for Daria,” she whispered. “And I’m scared. I’m so fucking scared to lose her.”

Purple lightning lit her room and it was then that she noticed the small object on her nightstand. Gray petals. A thin, long stem. Another tear trickled down her cheek.

“She didn’t recognize me, Wolffe. She looked me in the eye and didn’t recognize me,” Kazi whispered. A few seconds followed, and then she added, “Ever since I first learned about her disease, I’ve numbed myself to any thought of it. I thought it would go away”—she scoffed—“and it was so fucking stupid of me. But I really thought if I ignored it and avoided any thought of death it would disappear. It wouldn’t be my problem.”

The gray flower mocked her. Innocent. Delicate. A vestige of life.

“I’ve failed to protect her,” she said. “I failed her.”

Wolffe cleared his throat. “You can’t protect your sister from a disease. That’s outside your control.” 

“I should’ve researched more—”

“You can’t control certain things, Ennari,” he said. Her lips pursed, and Wolffe ran his tongue along his teeth. A wildness lit his eyes, desperate and raging. “I sent men to die. Men who I shared blood with. I ordered them into battle, and not all of them made it. I couldn’t protect them all. Do you think I should blame myself for their deaths?”

Her grip tightened on her sheets. “No.”

“Then stop blaming yourself for Daria’s disease.”

The decisiveness in his tone brokered no room for further argument. But it was the guilt in his expression—the guilt still gnawing on him—that convinced her to let it go. 

Settling beneath her sheet, she rested her head on a pillow. Wolffe lowered himself to the mattress, too. Tension thrummed from him, and she reached for his hand, brought it to her mouth. Softly kissed his palm. Kissed his fingers. Held his hand close to her heart as she closed her eyes.

Sometime in the witching hour of night, Kazi woke. The storm had settled, and the moons limned the darkness, and a cloud of lightning bugs flitted across the sky formerly bearing their namesake. 

Like one of those bugs fluttering to a new place, Kazi made her way to her sister’s room. Warm light seeped from the cracked door. She peeked inside.

Daria and Cody were speaking, their voices quiet, their touches purposeless until Daria noticed her. With a small smile, her sister beckoned her inside. Kazi nodded at Cody, and she hoped he could see the apology in her face. He vacated his seat. On his way out, his elbow knocked hers. Gentle. Reassuring. Remnants of her guilt eased, and she sat in his chair.

To her surprise, Daria reached for her hand, her sister’s fingers a cold blanket around her own. Her grasp was weak.

“Cody said you fell,” Daria said, her eyebrows knitted in concern. “He said you fell down the stairs and you had to go to the med center.”

Kazi mustered a smile. “I’m fine. A little sore, but the pain meds should make it go away within the next day.”

A few seconds passed in stilted silence as Daria scrutinized her. “I’ve never known you to be careless.” 

“I fell from the boat’s mast once,” Kazi said. “Luckily I only sprained—”

“Your ankle.” Daria licked her lips, the usual pink paled. “I remember.”

Hesitation worried the lines of Daria’s face. Squeezing her sister’s hand, Kazi murmured, “I tripped, Dee. Things like that happen.”

“But you’re always so careful,” Daria said. “The stairs at the lighthouse never tripped you up. I remember…” Her eyelashes quivered, and it was then that Kazi realized some of them were missing. “I remember one of the steps gave out. But you caught yourself.” 

“I was young,” Kazi said. “I had more mobility—”

“You’re still young. And you’re as athletic and agile as you used to be.”

A single sweep of her sister’s face and the mistrust haunting her gaze told Kazi everything she needed to know. Her sister surmised the truth.

She could try to convince Daria otherwise, but, ultimately, it would be pointless. And she wasn’t interested in isolating Daria again—jeopardizing the relationship they were still nurturing. Instead, she rounded the bed and slid beneath the covers. 

While Daria sipped from a water glass, Kazi surveyed her sister’s nightstand. A dragon carving reared, its wings splayed, its wood a sea glass reminiscent of the ocean on a calm day. A frame housed an old, faded photo.  

“Do you miss them?” Kazi asked quietly, studying her parents.

“I do,” Daria murmured, her smile wistful.

“Did you ever write them letters?” 

A tradition in Traditionalist and Reformist culture: When a loved one died—whether a family member, friend, or even a pet—you wrote a letter. Well-wishes. Reflection. Gratitude. Issues laid to rest. 

The letters were private. Only for the dead and the stars to overhear. They were a formal plea to the dragons—to guide a lost soul to the afterlife.

When the moon was full, the letter was read. For Ceaians believed all humans were formed from stardust, and it was to stardust the dead returned. 

The letters were also a reassurance to the dead. A reassurance that their loved ones could continue onward, without them.

Kazi never wrote her parents letters. 

“I did,” Daria said. “I read them, and I burnt them.”

The one differentiator between Traditionalists and Reformists: The Traditionalists drowned their letters at sea, and the Reformists burnt them. 

The former believed drowning the letter allowed a piece of their dead loved one to remain on Ceaia. A burial. The latter believed burning the letter symbolized an individual’s readiness to continue. To keep living.

Staring at Daria’s dragon carving, Kazi frowned. “Are you…afraid of dying?”

Understanding softened her features and Daria smiled sadly. “Not anymore.” 

Daria closed her eyes, and Kazi knew, without being told, that her sister was imagining Ceaia. Most likely their old home on the beach shore. 

“I lived,” Daria said softly. “And while it wasn’t the life I envisioned for myself, I still had the chance to truly live.”

For a while, Kazi mused her sister’s answer, and as Daria’s breathing started to even, she whispered, “I’m starting to remember what it’s like. To actually live.”

“It’s terrifying,” Daria whispered back. “But so, so exciting.”*

Later, Kazi made her way back to her room. 

The moment she rejoined Wolffe beneath her covers, he wrapped an arm around her front and pulled her into his body. His breath warmed the back of her neck. A few seconds later and he was asleep again. She soon followed him.

Masterlist | Chapter 23 | A Muse

A/N: Kazi and Wolffe in the last scene.

By the way, just in case people don’t know, I wrote this version of Wolffe before we even knew that Wolffe would be in season 3 of TBB. So my portrayal of him is not reflective of the storyline pursued in canon Star Wars post-TCW. 

* Line inspired by Night at the Museum (2006): "It's time for your next adventure." "I have no idea what I'm going to do tomorrow." "How exciting."

[sumplysilly]

💥 ABOUT ME :) 💥

I am ZEKE! 26 years old (July 29) weird small white man

Massively gay I love gay men of all shapes... Aromantic aswell

Mostly binary trans man w agender sprinkled in, he/him only

I'm nondysphoric, never plan to go on T & I love my titties. Big on degendering bodyparts/hormones & inclusive speech when talking about reproductive/menstrual topics. If you don't like that fuck off

Sexy ugly ASPD wielder

My son is Bucky :} he's a russian tortoise & he is my world. Have had him 12+ years. BUCKYPOSTING is his tag. He loves dandelions & when I sing his name to him.

I have a sona! He's a cockatrice. I relate to funny birds

🐔🐍 I'm an artist! I LOOUVE traditional art, I do inks (<3 lineart) rubber stamp carving & tag art but mostly just post digital art for my own sanity. Monsters/robots & gore/body horror are my fave to draw. I post about a lot of topics but my big things are my OC funguy & OSRS. Not big into any fandoms/groups or anything I'm just a lone wanderer in a bubble so expect all of my likes mixed together.

💬 Asks are always appreciated! I try to keep anon asks on but I get hate anons so sometimes I close them. I'm bored & lonely so you'll probably make me do a backflip if you send me something.

🔞 My blog is 18+ & I will very infrequently draw/reblog 18+ art. I'm into cartoony gore & ovipos/preg/piss/monsterfuckery. I tag all the 18+ art I rb/post so if u have those things muted you should be good.

Art tag ZEKEART / OC tag ZEKEOC / all my OCs are tagged by name

💥 SHIT I LIKE 💥

Dr Nefarious, TFA scream & Mojo Jojo

Transformers

OldSchool Runescape

Dragon's Dogma

Ratchet & Clank

Fantasy Life

Classic monhun (nothing past MHGU; I've designed officially liscensed mh merch. Toots my horn). Zelda, MOONrpg, Viewtiful Joe, Psychonauts, Rayman, Sly Cooper, Klonoa, Katamari, Icarus, Dauntless, Temtem, Pokemon, SMT

PPG, Sym-Bionic Titan, Kipo, Samurai Jack, Odd Taxi, Space Dandy, Sgt Frog, the og YuGiOh, Digimon

Sobufi kaiju (I collect them!) I <3 weird gamera/ultraman kaiju

I collect comics, The Maxx is my fave but I have a lot of Xmen (Wolverine!), Spawn, Hellboy & TF (Marvel & IDW) aswell

graffiti/traditional inks/stamp carving/clay

torts, chickens, bats, octopussies, snakes, mantises, dragonflies, komodos (been my fave animal since grade school)

💥 DNI FUCK OFF / SHIT I DON'T FUCK WITH 💥

Bigotry. the epic catch-all term

Transmedicalists/transphobes/transman haters (why would u follow me for seriously)

Racism/colonialism & military/cop supporters

Demonizing mental illnesses/disorders, ableism & bodyshaming

"Ironic" hate speech & use of supremacist memes

Proship/fic, incest, pedo, beastiality

Hp, fnaf, anything vivzieshit, league, overwatch, nothing wrong w mlp but it irks me

ty for reading. surprise under here

[p0rkguts]

you got any ocs u wanna ramble abt pork? (trying to politely ask everything ever forever)

CATEGORY 7 BLORBO HEART ATTACK

Why yeas.... Yes I do :]

Okay so so so so my main story my favorite story my baby my child my magnum opus my pride and joy my best creation. Most developed story I've ever had. working title is Metamerist. I love it I love them u don't understand u don;t undersTAND

It's about a little amnesiac girl thing trying to recover their memories and find their identity in a world that is against them in every way possible. It's about two problematic lesbians with a messy ass past trying to get over their own emotional constipation and toxic codependency to raise children and save the world. It's about a Totalitarian government bent on completely dominating the globe until it's all under their control. It's about SHAPESHIFTERS. IT'S ABOUT QUEERS. IT'S ABOUT WHAT CAN'T BE TAKEN BACK. IT'S ABOUT BEING MADE ANEW. IT'S ABOUT FEELINGS❕❕❕❕❕

Oh my god jeez fuck how am I even meant to explain all this lore to you rn.... Okay I I. I'm working on this big PowerPoint Google slide presentation that explains the WHOLE story but it's not done yet. And it's like sooo impossible (for me) to abridge. So I'm just gonna tell u about ONE Metamerist character for now and their lore

Readmore bc this got long

This is The Doctor (it/its). It doesn't have a name it just calls itself The Doctor. It's a shapeshifter that can take on different animal traits— specifically from certain bugs and bats. It grew up in a shapeshifter colony in the distant mountains until they were all either kidnapped or killed by the government for their shapeshifter related experiments when The Doctor was like. A shapeshifter tween. The Doctor managed to hide in a little crevice crawl space thing until they left but it was the only survivor.

After days of just waiting thinking they'd be right outside to attack, it left its hiding place and the mountain and camped out at the foot of the mountain for a bit. Eventually Nivera finds it and she wants to be friends and The Doctor doesn't really wanna be friends bc it thinks Nivera is a human girl from the nearby village and it hates humans now but it doesn't wanna appear suspicious so it tries to be all friendly because well. People are supposed to be nice to other people?? Probably

Nivera keeps visiting The Doctor and they slowly become actual friends. Not like it'd admit that tho. But eventually the truth comes out and they both realize they're both shapeshifters who thought the other was human and we're trying to pass as humans because of that. It's silly they're both stupid. After that they get a lot closer

Every time Nivera would leave The Doctor at the end of the day after visiting and she claimed to "go home to her family" to sell her human alibi and everything she was just going to some abandoned cottage she found. After they figure each other out they start living there together

While this was going on, The Doctor started sneaking into the nearby village and stealing things like food and books and clothes and stuff. When Nivera becomes friends with It she asks to join in on the little thieving escapades and The Doctor begrudgingly agrees. They then become wanted criminals there but they never get caught because they've got The Doctor's shape shifting abilities on their side

One day when The Doctor and Nivera were out exploring the woods, they found a tunnel that led into a secret underground compound and saw some humans bringing stuff into it in boxes. They hid while they watched them transport all the materials and it was all very suspicious. After they snuck away, Nivera wanted to leave the place alone but The Doctor wanted to go back and investigate further. Nivera was against it so The Doctor started visiting the place in secret and lying to Nivera about it saying they were going hunting instead.

The Doctor just watched them transport their mystery goods for a few days until one day they saw them carrying in a shackled shapeshifter. This set off major alarms in its head. The next time they visited the tunnel they snuck in and saw the humans were experimenting on shapeshifters in there. It snapped and killed all the workers there (like 20-30 people)

The Doctor is scarred in 7 new ways bc of it all but just cleans up as much of the carnage it can and returns to Nivera. For a few days It avoids the place and doesn't say anything to her but eventually it goes back to see what became of the place and Nivera follows it because she was getting really suspicious. The place is still empty and untouched and The Doctor tells Nivera they all just left. At some point Nivera sees faint remnants of blood there, and pieces together that there was more to it than that, but she tells herself that whatever it did must've been absolutely necessary and her bff would never do wrong.

The Doctor had wanted to get back at humans somehow ever since their family was taken from it and it saw the now empty compound as the perfect starting point to learn about their plans. Nivera isn't a fan but acquiesces to The Doctor's desire to start spending time there. It figures out how to operate their computers soon enough and figures out the vast extent of their work.

Okay so by this point years have passed amidst all this and they're both shifter young adults now. The Doctor spends a bunch of time at the compound trying to come up with plans to stop all the government mandated shapeshifter murder. It eventually figures out the lab equipment and after studying some of the things they did there, it figured out how to make its own concoctions it saw as useful.

The compound is attached to now abandoned tunnels that lead to a more urban part of the land and The Doctor started using them as a way to sneak in to essentially scavenge for more materials for their projects. Nivera begged to come along one time bc she likes to be included and when they got there they ended up almost getting caught, but The Doctor used its shifting powers to get them to safety and Nivera was like "😳 woaw..." Bc she's monster fucker trash (affectionate)

After they got home safely Nivera was like "man with I could do all that cool stuff teehee ☺️" and The Doctor's like "...You can't?" And Nivera's like "no my shapeshifter powers have always been super weak lol I'm not strong like you 🥰" and The Doctor's like "hmmm. I wonder if a serum could fix that."

Nivera essentially has a shifter disability that makes her shifting abilities abnormally weak and The Doctor offers to make some concoction that could possibly fix it. Nivera doesn't really mind her disability at all and lives just fine with minimal powers but agrees because The Doctor seems really excited about the possibility of the experiment being successful so anything for her pookie 🥰

The Doctor makes a few versions of the concoction but they keep not doing anything and Nivera assured it that it's fine but The Doctor won't back down and gets obsessed with making it work. Eventually, one night when they're testing another version in The Doctor's lab, it does work, but it works too well and Nivera loses control of her shape shifting abilities, shifting uncontrollably into a warped pained form

Uhhhhh something something. Kinda like this

(this is maybe 2 years old and all just vague concepts but I never drew her fucked up form ever again so this all I got)

Also Nivera can take on traits from spiders, deer, and plants

Nivera ran out into the woods like a frightened rampaging animal and The Doctor chased after them. Once it had Nivera cornered, it sedated her and had to drag her back to the lab. After making sure she was okay, The Doctor took Nivera to her cottage with some supplies and nursed Nivera back to health for the following few days while Nivera was in and out of consciousness. Once she was fully lucid, The Doctor gave her a rundown of what happened, told her to get some rest, and left. And they didn't see each other again for YEARS! Bc they were both pretty much of the belief that them being together would only hurt the both of them. The Doctor fell deep into depression and Nivera did too but she was just a little better at deluding herself

The Doctor really let itself go and spiralled completely. Its hair used to be all black and wavy but after the divorce arc it's got tons of white bits and it's all flat and matted and dirty. And it smells

Then like. decades later. which affects them slower bc shifters they'll live like 3x as long as humans. They're kinda forced back into each other's lives to take care of these two shapeshifter kids Echo and Tealin. it's a whole thing.

OKAY UUUHM. i think I've rambled enough. I get very shy about sharing ocs. BUT FEEL FREE TO ASK ME TO CLARIFY ANYTHING.... THIS IS VERY SIMPLIFIED.......... teehee ok bye

[halos-top-alien-model]

Sangheili Bracket Round 2 Match 14

More info below:

Olabisi 'Varo'dai:

Debuted in Halo: Outcasts (previously mentioned in Halo: Divine Wind)

Born on the colony Saepon'kal / Joyous Exultation, she was the daughter of a matriarch who led a subordinate keep to the Moul clan. When the Moul clan's kaidon abdicated during the Human-Covenant war, his son Azl 'Lamoul was anticipated to take his place. During his tour of all the nearby keeps, he and Olabisi met and fell in love. Yet the elders of Azl's clan intended him to marry the then-Marshal of Varo's niece, with his decision to reject her causing his entire bloodline to be killed and a Varo heir elected to take over the clan. Olabisi was made this heir's figurehead matriarch, although she would secretly train her own Sangheili Rangers to protect her and kill all those who betrayed her now runaway lover. When the original Marshal died in the Battle of Actium, she took over as the first female Marshal of Varo. She would continue to do so until Oct 2552, when the entire planet was made uninhabitable due to being caught up in the utter destruction of Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree's fleet due to an accidental NOVA bomb detonation. She would get assistance for the survivors, one of those aiding being the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, who arranged a plan to have the survivors colonize an uninhabited planet elsewhere - this planet becoming Om'a'Varo, potentially in honor of Olabisi, who became the high kaidon of all three keeps on the new colony. Feeling eternally grateful towards the Arbiter, she would continue to aid him alongside her rangers during the Blooding Years.

Towards the end of the Created Conflict in late 2559, Olabisi would join the Arbiter on a mission to Netherop / N'ba to recover a weapon that could potentially end Cortana's tyranny over the galaxy. She began destroying the orbital mine around N'ba in anticipation of the Arbiter's arrival; once he did arrive, she met with him alongside Ghe 'Talot, who had also been assisting by mapping the planet's topography. She and Ghe would have some tension between them due to differing views, but the Arbiter helped them cooperate through his orders. Later, she would be amongst those joining the Arbiter on the planet's surface, where her superior eyesight and rangers came in handy on the mission. Once humans became involved in the chase for the weapon. Olabisi was amongst those suspicious of them, but continued to try and work with them out of respect for the Arbiter. Later, during the first confrontation with the stranded Nizat 'Kvarosee and his "Defenders of the Sanctum", she would speak up in angry defense for the Arbiter, which ultimately contributed in the conversation devolving into combat. Once the weapon was secured, she was the one who first came up with the idea for both species to own it together, by splitting the necessary components between them. Then, she lashed out against Tam 'Lakosee and Nizat, for the former's actions in destroying the entire Sangheili fleet above N'ba. She would ultimately spare their lives, but not without a final taunt towards their gods being fake. Following a confrontation with Atriox where the weapon was handed over, she would join the survivors in escaping N'ba before Cortana's forces could arrive to catch them.

Henry:

Debuted in Halo: Evolutions ("The Mona Lisa")

Real name unknown, he was one of the Sangheili captured and brought on board the Mona Lisa for study purposes. When attempts to study the Flood on the ship went wrong and caused an outbreak, he would break free from captivity and save fellow prisoner Patrick Rimmer, who would stay by his side and nickname him "Henry". For days the duo survived by holing up in a maintenance room, with Henry's main weapon being a cricket bat. When the Red Horse arrived to investigate, some marines would find and team up with the duo, which included Ngoc Benti. Henry would save Benti from the Flood on two occasions, causing her to trust the Sangheili enough to allow him access to an assault rifle. A bit later, she would be injured, causing Henry to carry her the rest of the way to the ship's escape pods. Once there, however, a secret ONI operative would kill Rimmer, enraging Henry. Some conflict would cut the remaining numbers of people wishing to escape Mona Lisa to Henry and Sergeant Lopez. With room for only one of them on the last escape pod and thirty seconds until the entire ship would be destroyed by Red Horse, Henry and Lopez would begin a duel with no known outcome. Despite the unknown, though, Henry is likely to have perished - either by the explosion or by the nearby UNSC refusing to aid him.

[lactoseintolerentswag]

OC lore? 👀

AJSNSUBSJSN I'm assuming this ask is referring to my silly tags here?

Well!! I guess I could be a big boy and talk abt my guys 👉👈. Gonna warn off the bat though they're not rottmnt or tmnt related they're my home brew pals and I'll try to keep it short but.

Hard to when my timeline feels like this

So kudos if any of y'all stick around for the entire post.

World-Building Context:

Urban/modern fantasy genre dipping its toes in eco horror

So basically everyone and everything has this thing called aura (I KNOW BARE WITH ME). It's not visible to the naked eye but everyone's aura is different and specific to them like a fingerprint

When I mean Everything has aura I mean the animals, the plants, the rocks, buildings, etc. The Earth has a whole has its own aura

Spirits are born of Earth's excess aura. Spirits are nebulous empathic entities that communicate through emotion rather than words. They mostly take after animal-adjacent beings (like a giant bird with multiple eyes and a dog's snout) or sometimes mimic objects (like a tea kettle with legs). However, they never appear as human or humanoid

Spirits can bond to places, objects, and people!!! When a spirit bonds with a human it creates a familiar bond

Benefits to the bond: cool sick aura powers for the human that mimicks the ability of the familiar. In turn the familiar gets to feed on the bonded's emotions--lengthening their life span

The later of which is completely harmless to the bondee. A spirit and a person cannot bond unless they have a compatible aura, so to put it in perspective it's like finding someone who has a fingerprint that fills the gaps in your own

Effects of familiar bond: the bondee and familiar will begin to physically change to resemble one another. Not extremely. Someone could grow claws and their familiar's eyes would turn into their color. As stated before you get sick powers, which can be passed down generationally but will get diluted and or evolve into something else

Now spirits used to be widely respected and revered as our equals and sometimes even protectors. It was an honor to have a familiar bond or be passed down a spirit ability from a family member

Things took a turn when a movement that feared spirits as agents of the devil, and claimed people with spirit abilities were corrupted (proven by their changed physical traits), gained momentum in early modern Europe. Many were burned and or executed as witches

This fear permeated throughout the rest of western colonial times and resulted in laws that banned any bonding to spirits. These laws were maintained to present day, accompanied by several scientific discoveries made to deteer spirits (altering a stone's aura to make empathic sound waves unbearable to spirits)

Many present day cities have never even seen a spirit before as they are protected by obelisks made to keep spirits out. There are also many companies who profit off of spirit security through making mass produced charms and the equivalent of spirit bear spray

It's not common to be born with generationally passed spirit abilities but it's also not rare. Think about around the same percent of people born with green eyes are born with spirit abilities

Little Ridge is an old mining turned tourist town founded in the height of the gold rush in the Pacific Northwest in the U.S.

Little Ridge is an epicenter for inexplicable spirit activity. There have been more recorded spirits haunting the forest there than anywhere else. There are also naturally occurring stone obelisks that move on their own

What they're most famous for is the cave mine in which miners kept disappearing and returning with their skin peeled off. So Eventually the mine was closed despite having lucrative minerals. Mind you there is also a spring connected to this abandoned cave mine

In the 1970's New inexplicable happenings kicked off in Little Ridge. A disease was spreading around spirits. Corrupting their form and mind leading them into a state of frenzy. This disease followed similar symptoms to rabies. The infected spirits were labeled as "demons" and were actively sought after to be put down

Doctor Seong-gi Moon, was among the notable animaologists (a scientist who studies spirits) that was reached out to by U.S.'s defense branch to conduct research on the demon phenomenon in Little Ridge. Seong-gi accepted, was even given a grant from his university, and moved his family from South Korea to settle down in Little Ridge

For the first time a fence was constructed to keep spirits out of Little Ridge, and it was deemed safe to resume tourism

This story's present takes place in the years between 1995-2000

Main Cast:

Iris Moon (starts 12 ends 17, she/her): our main character!!! A gangly reckless girl who struggles against authority and has an obsessive fascination with spirits. Has a terrible case of tunnel vision and sticks her nose into other's people's business for the sake of her curiosity. Has a habit of taking care of people while maintaining an emotional distance through being a mouthy pain in the ass. She grew up moving around a lot, state to state, in and out of trailer parks and hotels. She's now living with her uncle in this small town.

Jung-ho (John) Moon (starts 27 ends 31, he/him): Iris's uncle. Taciturn and routine strict like his father (Seong-gi) but gentle like his mother. Despite his overall disdain for people stemming from his awkwardness he's really good with kids. Works as an automobile mechanic and. Other things. Grew up in Little Ridge, many of the town folk know him as John or Johnny. Wears glasses with one black lens. Owns a cat named Sticky with one eye. He is now tasked with raising his niece.

Daniel (Danny) Luna Rivera (starts 14 ends 18, he/him): Danny is in his loud and abrasive angsty teenager phase. A people pleaser at heart and currently victim to his asshole friends, at least they introduced him to alternative style. Starts out as a minor antagonist constantly keeping watch on Iris and his brother, the latter of which he cares about more than he will ever admit. Looks up to Jung-Ho, as that's the only adult who has never let him down. They're also working on a project to restore Danny a cool car. He has metal manipulation abilities and has a lot of piercings he will mold in case of emergency. Redemption arc sibling.

Miguel Luna Rivera (starts as 9 ends as 14, he/him. For now.) Miguel is a goddamn nerd and has a hard time connecting to people and spends a lot of time playing mediator. Has a lot of pent up anger, but is doing amazing in school. Very talented with math and technology (computers specifically) and spends a lot of time at his local radio shack. Looks up to both Jung-Ho and Iris. The later fills a void where the sister he accidentally killed at the age of 3 left. Isn't allowed anywhere without Danny around to babysit, but Iris is a horrible influence and teaches him to sneak. Corruption arc sibling.

It's difficult to explain my last girlie without loosely explaining what I would consider this story's first chapter. So

Chapter One-ish Outline:

> Iris is driven by CPS to go live with her Uncle John who she hasn't seen since she was like 4. She has an arm cast and a crummy attitude

>Jung-ho does his best to give her enough space while also keeping her entertained. Ends up getting a call and having to go to work

>Iris is brought along as Jung-ho fumbles with what to do, she's clearly bored and it's kind of dangerous for her so he gives her his watch telling her what time to come back and some money to go explore historical downtown

>Iris wanders around picking up some vague history here and there in the background. Everyone recognizes her as Johnny's niece. Up at the playground at the fence's edge. Curious she goes to inspect but is interrupted by Danny

>Danny gets into an argument with her about how she's being stupid and how unsafe it is for Her (someone without spirit abilities) to be this close to the fence. Miguel, who was playing. Ends up talking his brother into leaving her alone to go to the nearby convenience store

>Iris disregards what Danny said and cuts the fence with wire cutters since she can't climb with her broken arm. As for why a 12 year old girl has wire cutters? Something she picked up from living with her Mon

>Entertains herself in the woods and has 3 encounters. One where she passes one of the naturally occurring stone obelisks that had an eye carved into it, one where she runs into a spirit that has her standing still in fear. It's almost deer like, but its neck is too long and has too many horns. She leaves an apple from her bag and it leaves her alone. And finally she sees a figure stumbling around

>Upon closer inspection the figure is drenched in blood. All over her blank face and dripping down the only piece of clothing she seems to be wearing, a white gown. No shoes or socks. Iris calls out to see if the girl needs help, but isn't given a response. So, Iris wrangles her own jacket onto her, and wordlessly uses her free hand to guide them out of the woods

>In a nearby diner's bathroom Iris uses paper towels to the best of her abilities to clean this girl's face off. She lets her keep the jacket to cover up the mess on her front. The girl had no wounds of her own

>Iris orders them burgers at the diner and they sit at a booth to talk. Well Iris talks and the girl blankly stares at her. She only responds after Iris belatedly introduces herself, first and last name. The girl waits to eat until after taking her burger apart piece by piece to examine each ingredient, and shortly and quietly responds to Some of Iris's questions

>No she wasn't lost, no she wasn't in danger, and her name is Lucie which is scrawled in poor and shakey handwriting on Iris's cast after prompting

>Of Course with a broken fence predictably a demon is going to come through. One that is vaguely giant wolf shaped with no eyes and bleeding an impossible amount (it's more of a representation of blood as spirits nor demons have bodily fluids)

>It causes chaos and Danny jumps in to defend people, but really all he's doing is cornering a dangerous and hurt animalistic being, while Miguel runs off to go get Jung-ho. Iris steps in naively to keep him from killing it, snapping at him to take a look and see that it's badly wounded and probably scared

>Before it can snap its jaws at them both Lucie interferes by putting her hands on either side of its neck. For a moment everyone is stock still. And then the blood stops draining out of the demon, it starts to shrink, and reforms back into it's original state resembling a jackelope. The spirit runs off back into the woods in a spooked frenzy leaving everyone baffled. The only way to cure a demon is to shoot it dead.

>It's time for Jung-Ho and the police to enter the scene as he furiously and worriedly makes sure everyone is okay. Under his attention Iris missed the moment where Lucie slunk off. Taking her jacket along with her.

>Much later in the evening, back at Uncle John's house, Iris will be unpacking her things in her new room. Jung-ho quickly runs up the stairs to scold her some more as he and the search team found her jacket folded over the fence that had been cut open. Although Iris is a little distracted by the forget-me-nots stashed into the jacket's pockets to listen. And of course she's grounded

---

SO THERE!!!! This is a very tiny glimpse into my bbgirl wip project that has ruled my life since I was 12. It would be cool to post art of my dudes here when I get the courage. Also. Again. Kudos to everyone who made it here to the end of my rambling :>

[dailysonadowfanfics]

Reading every single Sonadow Fanfic (Ao3): 41/4.642

Title: Shadow the Hedgehog -- Light of Ichor

Author: Whozawhatcha

Website: Ao3

Published: 31.01.2016

Word Count: 47.132 words

Suited for minors? Yes

Warnings: light violence

Smut? No

Finished? No

Characters: Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Maria Robotnik, Doctor Eggman, Knuckles the Echidna, Rouge the Bat, Miles Tails Prower, Amy Rose, Chaos, OCs

Ships: None really

Author Tags: the violence isn't that graphic yet i think, post SA2, and before any other games were made screw Shadow's history in his own game no aliens here, nothing outrageous, mild swearing, Alternate Universe, Drama, Adventure, History, lots of Angel Island and the Mystic Ruins, knuckles the echidna - Freeform, knuckles being actually useful to the story, Angel Island, Mystic Ruins, tikal the echidna - Freeform, history of angel island, expanding angel island, Space Colony ARK, ark, if you want a story dwelling on angel island and the history of knuckles' people this is it

Author Summary: Surprise! Maria is alive, and has been living her life fully for the past 50 years while he was stuck in suspended animation. Can Shadow reconnect with his old friend? And why is he pulled to Angel Island? And in turn, its magnetic guardian? But a haunting darkness is terrorizing Maria.... Will the power of the Chaos Emeralds be enough, or will our anti-hero have to look to greater means?

My summary: This isn't really a shipping story, but a story about Maria's and Shadow's friendship and how Shadow would react if she was still alive. Sonic and Shadow have a few moments, but nothing really shippy.

You can read it here

[glowstone23b]

hi its phantom-tamer oc again this time im just dropping a batch of things u made up for phantoms ahdvdjfm

- hypercarnivores that will regurgitate anything that isn’t meat out of their stomaches. They can drink water too, but prefer blood

- they have barbed tongues, meant for licking blood and meat off of bones and also for preening one another

- in my version they’re not undead mobs, but their equivalent of burning in sunlight is getting blinded if theres too strong of a light source (eg sun or glowstone)

^ - if they’re forced to look at bright sources of light they can become permanently blind within minutes :(

- phantoms generally live in groups of colonies up to 10-50 (depending on habitat, could be even more)

^ - some people refer to groups of phantoms as “nightmares” much in the same way you’d call a group of bats a cauldron :]]

- phantoms rely heavily on camouflage when hunting in groups.

^ - this also means that whenever a phantom happens to be born with albinism, it is almost always eaten no matter how old it may be

- within phantom colonies, they tend to travel around area to area but typically reside in biomes with bad weather or dense forests usually with fog. anything bright is a no no (caves are also a good nesting spot but are more risky with spiders willing to take a bite out of them)

- places where phantoms nest or reside are usually very visible: scratches on trees and torn off, mauled branches, bones littering the ground, the constant distant trilling of one.

^ - phantom nests r usually called “graveyards” :3

- phantoms have a VERY in depth communication system, almost akin to regular humans

^ - the most similar thing that is able to be compared to their communication system is sign languages: simple words or “meanings” that can string together a sentence just via specific calls, screeches, trills, etc

- their level of intelligence is the same of a 9 year old (able to recognize body language, remember faces, locate weak points on prey, etc)

^ - they can also feel emotions much the same (empathy, compassion, etc) which most people usually don’t realize about them (usually assuming its like a snake thing where they don’t feel affection) (but phantoms do!! my oc would know that with how some of her phantoms smother her in really unneeded affection)

^ - also kind of obvious but they can make really strong bonds with one another

- in my lil version they have two sets of eyes: one on top, aka the normal pair of eyes and then their bottom eyes

^ - lower eyes dont have eyelids, meaning they do the gecko lick thing, even in their sleep

- whenever they spot prey their top eyes diliate from a full green to two pinpricks of green in full black (essentially tracking their prey very closely)

- ALSO also in my version they dont have any back legs, having a somewhat wyvern shape with their bodies

^ - they perch via the claws on their wings (on like. The elbow part. or something idk what to call it)

- they have this sort of ribcage section on their bodies that is able to open— it has two main uses

1.) secretes stomach acid (which is. very strong) onto caught prey in order to soften them for biting

2.) childbirth (they just sort of spit the babies out)

- two rows of teeth (ouchie)

- male phantoms tend to be smaller in size but faster in speed, females tend to be larger (child holding reasons) (also to protect said children from potential attackers), have larger claws, and have more steady flight meant for long distances

- most colonies have some sort of leader; one that usually tends to be biggest and most brutal, and is the one that takes charge when finding new areas to nest in

- you probably guessed this already but they’re nocturnal :33 during the day when they sleep in their dark areas they hang upside down like bats, or hold onto branches with their wings spread out

^ - they have glowing markings that look similar to eyes and use it to scare away predators (similar to moths having eye camouflage!!)

- most phantoms find strength in numbers, meaning when one finds itself lost, old, or heavily injured the rest of the colony will usually leave it behind once it either doesn’t return or is unable to fly. (Phantoms that formed a strong bond with the sick phantom will usually offer comfort and fetch one last meal for them before killing them)

- phantoms are able to mimic cries and sounds from all kinds of species, usually being cries of horses or the whining from dogs, and very rarely human screams.

^ - there have been folklore made about those screams before people found out it was from phantoms

^ - they use said screams and cries to lure unsuspecting prey in

- phantoms have their own form of mating dances and courting !! this usually occurs in winter when the weather sucks and it gets darker quicker

^ - male phantoms will offer certain kinds of trinkets to appeal to a possible mate’s preference, show off to them, make a nest, or do some sort of feat to impress the potential partner

- above clouds and after hunting sessions, phantoms enjoy playing with one another (chasing, nipping one another’s tails, interlocking tails and going into free fall with one another for a moment, races, etc)

- baby phantoms are the sized of month-old kittens when first born :3 their diet also mainly consists of bugs and rodents until growing larger and consuming bigger prey

i love these vulture sized man eating blue wyverns .okay ramble over thanks 🗣️‼️

You inspired me! I’m at work so it’s on paper, but here’s some sketches!

I love the idea of phantoms being like… vulture sized. Perfect to pick up under an arm. They’d be really nice to use similarly to falcons— probably good to bring in to catch stray vexes or birds or whatnot!

I have made a couple headcanons off of yours, so feel free to bounce them around if you don’t have them already!

- Phantoms likely are a sort of… bat/snake mixture (I had some shark ideas too— face shape or teeth!) My drawings are somewhat… bat/snake/dragon/lizard/shark/bird combo… a lot of elements, lol.

- They’re surprisingly light for their size, averaging roughly 10-20 pounds (more similar to wild turkeys rather than condors, and perhaps lighter bones for easier flight)

- They have talons and feet similar to owls, with their third digit able to rotate so they can have it in the front or back for better grip on prey. They prefer to fly firstly, then crawl, then walk— they’re usually in the air!

- Maybe they could spit venom also? Like how you said with the stomach acid— they might just be able to spit it on cue, because it’s a little more accessible and would make their bites more of a nuisance to people. Good for defense too, especially for baby phantoms!

- On that note, they prefer to bite rather than claw. They’re notorious for their bites, with those rows of razor-sharp teeth (not to mention the bite strength of like. A parrot, if given a good shot), but they sometimes use their talons to pick up smaller prey like rabbits, chickens, parrots, baby animals in general, etc etc. I’d think they’d mostly eat on the spot, preferring to cache tiny little bits of food (or eating a good fill and keeping it in their crop for later) rather than trying to lug around whole kills…? Like. Eat a rabbit foot instead of carry a rabbit back, if that’s anything?

- Maybe they lay eggs? I feel like they’d have a good brood patch of sorts going on, their underbelly being super warm.

- Their outer ribs/bones thing going on is either the ends of their spinal column poking out for defense against predators (perhaps activated at will with the ribs, like that one newt species), some good coloration, or maybe even semi-translucent skin/scales!

- You mentioned second eyes! When I think of that, I imagine them to be more like iguanas— something sort of vestigial, a simple eye that detects movement and brightness. That way, they can stay alert to subtle changes that they might be blinded by something soon!

- If they get blinded as you say, rather than burning up as in game, I can only imagine the chaos after a sunrise when the phantoms are out late. You’d probably end up with a bunch of injured and half-blind phantoms on your doorstep (does your oc rehabilitate?).

- Their tail’s a little longer to act like a rudder! Instead of flapping sporadically like a bat, I feel they’d flap a little slower, but more determined… maybe even like swifts? Like, capable of gliding up at super big heights up in the wind columns, but they’d dive down and flap like sparrows to get back up to where they were to get another shot at it.

That’s all I can think of right this second, and it’s a pretty long train of thought! I haven’t really proofread all that much because I’m working a lot this week, but I’ll have more time soon! Thanks for your asks, I love hearing about it, phantom anon :) (phanon? Who knows) Anyways, have some drawings!

[brightwingedbat]

What does the Colony of Bats think of their evil Nayos doppleganger; A Colony of Terrorlings?

The vile nemesis of the Colony of Bats, should a kryptis rift ever open near the lands they roam, they will assuredly face the Colony of Terrorlings in vicious combat.

But the nature of them means parts of the colonies will always escape and rebuild numbers, an eternal rivalry.

[ramicorn]

Ok so tumblr guess what I can draw (slugcats only) but i CAN draw

So here are my ocs (i also have an sth oc but we don't talk about them) Anyway info dump: first up The Aerialist: Pronouns: They/Them The Aerialist as a pup was left in five pebbles' can they managed to escape the rot but well they got mutated (not by the rot) and they have wings kinda like a bat. These "wings" (i guess) allow them to glide and after many attempts figuring out how to glide they fled the exterior, crashed in shoreline and were stuck there until they found The Logician. The Logician: Pronouns: She/They The Logician was cast out by/left their colony at an extremely young age, why you ask? Well she were extremely curious about the world around them. She brought back a lot of dangerous technologies from hunting instead of hunting, she would deliberately follow the most dangerous predators to watch their behavior and learn how to trap them, their colony found them useless. It wasn't that the Logician didn't care she just wanted to help by making new things instead of hunting or gathering. After leaving the colony the Logician decided on a quest, they wanted to find out what was here before them and all the information they can find about them. Both slugcats met each other at shoreline as the Aerialist saves Logician from a vulture. After the save the Aerialist accompanies and protects the Logician on their quest.

[eden-regained]

I've finally drawn my main Splatoon OC Inkeborg (aka the OG thot) once again, now she's simultaneously a C:tD OC!

Her Mien (though technically she has no mortal seeming bc of a flaw) is based on the Portuguese man o' war, so lots of organic and transparent fabrics and "hair".

(Because Siphonophorae are colonial organisms she speaks with multiple voices at once, it's kinda freaky)

This version of Inke is born in 1964 (human era) in the quiet suburbs of D and goes through her belated Dream Dance at the age of 26. Thanks to spending a lot of time in freeholds, even acquiring one of her own later on (a grotto in the German Sea), she manages to stay alive until the Mollusc Era.

She now looks barely humanoind and also has the Shapechanging-birthright so no one in the Splatlands bats an eye. Thanks to her strong fairy heritage she can walk among her new soft-bodied friends without risking her longevity because the inhabitants of this new world, Inklings especially, are not as mired in Banality as humans used to be (physically she's 59 by that point).

[broodparasitism]

Tag Game - Your Writing Education

About: What are some of the things your writing has inspired you to learn (more) about?

I was tagged by @sarahlizziewrites - thank you!

The really obvious thing has been postwar British history. I'll shut up about this soon I promise. I've been doing that mostly by reading whatever relevant nonfiction I can get my hands on, and I recomend everyone does this even a little bit for wherever they life because it's so enlightening, as long as you're not basing it off a single historian.

I've also ended up learning a little about birds. In Wormwood, loons have some plot significance and in my current WIP, blackbirds do. Also bats! Serotines for Maternity Colony (the title is a dead giveaway it's about bats) and I think I'm going to add in Greater Horsehoe Bats into my current thing as well.

I've learned a fair bit about cigarettes and alcohol, I suppose. I like to know what kind of cigarette each OC smokes, and got called up on historically inaccuracy wine snobbery from Violet (British people were NOT be as sophisticated to say 'Sauvignon Blanc' in 1982). I'm not so committed to try cigarettes - let alone the drugs - in my writing for research purposes, so writing authentic drug use is a challenge. Food is similar here - I was looking at old Ritz menus for a guide as to what La Ruine might serve.

[chevvy-yates]

🗣 🌀 📘  for ryder

🛋 🥣 for vijay pls 🖤

🗣: Is your muse/OC talkative or quiet? Or does it depend on who they are speaking with?

already answered, but I'll copy paste it: It really just depend on who he's speaking with in the first place. In general Ryder is pretty talkative, but he has times when he's also very quiet. If he doesn't want to talk, better leave him be or it gets worse. He's got a hot temper as well.

🌀: Does your muse/OC believe in the paranormal? Why or why not?

Not so much. Has more to do with that he never encountered something paranormal for real. He likes the stories about Japanese yokai, Hizumi is telling sometimes, but doesn't think they exist. Even those cryptits of Night City can in 90% be explained with cyberpsychos or gons that want to play a prank. If V asks him to go exploring he only goes with him in most cases because of the high danger of a cyberpsycho.

📘: What type of books does your muse/OC like?

First of all, he loves books about space/the universe. He owns plenty of them at home. He just loves to study everything that was found in the black nothingness and is totally bats about colonializing other planets in far away galaxies. Another topic you'll find in his bookshelves is books about war and military — mostly historic ones. He's got a lot of stuff about tanks and jets, uniforms of the world, lots of WWI and WWII related books. Few about other wars can be found as well. Is pretty much interested in how diffeent authors have different views onto wars. Of course you will also find romans about space. But he also enjoy reading thrillers and sometimes even gay love stories. He also got a few books about art and architecture — it's mostly Brutalism. Some coffee table books as well. Themes are cities, art, photography, male body, historic stuff etc.)

🛋: How does you muse/OC relax after a long day?

In 90% of the cases, his day ends around 3am. When he comes home he takes a warm long shower to relax his tired muscles and clear his busy mind. After that, and if he's not tired, he grabs a few snacks and a lemonade and zaps the tv channels for a while. He's got some documentary channels he likes to watch often. If not, he will likely just fall into his cozy bed and tries to get some sleep (if his busy minds lets him).

Bonus: If Arki is with him, he'll cuddle against him and enjoy their quality time. If both of them aren't tired and need to relax: sex – pretty much everywhere they like it. V knows Arki can relax best through that after a long and hard work day.

🥣: What is your muse’s/OC’s comfort meal?

Yaki Soba and Gyoza — all vegetarian, tho.